Fallen firefighter honored with cancer grant in Indio

One of the last wishes of a fallen Indio firefighter was turned into reality Wednesday evening.

The $54,000 Sara Thomas Firefighter Safety Cancer Grant was approved by the Indio City Council.

Read: Veteran firefighter loses cancer battle

The money will provide cancer screenings to fellow firefighters.

“The city and the city council felt that this is important, that cancer has overtaken heart attacks and heart issues as the number one killer of firefighters in the nation,” said Indio Mayor Pro-Term Michael Wilson. “It is important to us that we leave a legacy and hopefully prompt other agencies and cities to do the same thing and take care of their firefighters.”

Watch: Sara Thomas’ death raises awareness for cancer checks for first responders

41-year-old Sara Thomas passed away in January after a hard fought battle with cancer

Watch: Touching tribute from Sara Thomas memorial services.